U.S. stock futures rise after U.S.-Japan trade deal; Tesla, Alphabet earnings due
Investing.com -- Wizz Air’s (LON:WIZZ) strategic reset and financial trajectory have drawn a bullish stance from Deutsche Bank (ETR:DBKGn), even as the brokerage trimmed its price target for the stock following full-year 2025 results.
The bank cut its target from 1720p to 1500p and maintained a Hold rating. Shares closed at 1185p, having dipped to 1136p on June 9, the first time below the 1150p IPO price set in February 2015.
Despite the drop, Deutsche Bank said Wizz remains a “Buy Idea,” citing resilience at the 1200p level in past sell-offs.
Analyst Jaime Rowbotham pointed to a sharpened focus on the carrier’s core Central and Eastern European market.
Wizz plans to exit certain Western European bases, including Geneva and Salzburg, and scale back flying over hotter and harsher environments such as routes to the Middle East.
That operational shift could lead to a conversion of some Airbus A321XLR orders into A320neos. Deutsche Bank characterized this retrenchment as a positive move back to fundamentals.
Passenger growth continues to underscore Wizz’s expansion. In the year to March 2025, the airline carried 63.4 million passengers, nearly quadrupling the 16.5 million figure posted in its first year post-IPO.
Yet, this milestone coincided with a muted market response, reinforcing investor concerns about the near-term cost environment and execution risks.
On the balance sheet, Wizz projects around €2 billion in cash generation this fiscal year, which would offset a similar amount of new debt tied to aircraft deliveries.
That would keep net debt broadly unchanged at approximately €5 billion. Management aims to reduce its net debt to EBITDA ratio from 4.4x to around 3x by fiscal year 2026. Deutsche Bank forecasts a ratio of 3.2x, supporting the company’s deleveraging plan.
Deutsche Bank described fiscal 2025 as part of a broader transition period for Wizz, likely extending into fiscal 2026, as the carrier adapts to operational and macroeconomic pressures.
The shift in strategic emphasis and efforts to improve financial leverage signal a pragmatic approach, according to Rowbotham.